A spacer for use in a one point fastening of an object, such as a pipe clip, to a wall

Abstract: A spacer for use in a one point attachment of an object (11) to a wall. The spacer has a first mounting plate (1) with a central hole (2) for fastening the plate to the wall, said mounting plate (1) being connected, by spacer elements, to a second mounting plate (5) that is provided with a centrally projecting attachment means for the object to be fastened. Preferably the central fastening hole (2) is formed by a slot, while the effective length of the spacer elements is adjustable and the holes (6) in the second mounting plate (5) are also formed by slots, the "long" axes of which are positioned at right angles relative to those of the slot (2) in the first mounting plate (1).

Description: The invention relates to a spacer as defined in the first part of claim 1. Such a spacer is disclosed in DD-A-0212299. With this well-known spacer the spacer means is a connecting web that interconnects the two mounting plates as an integrally formed H-profile. Furthermore the first mounting plate has two fastening slots, one on either side of the connecting web, whereas the slots in the second mounting plate are used for fastening pipe holding means. The spacer according to the present invention distinguishes from the well-known spacer by the features mentioned in the second part of claim 1. The spacer according to the invention is particularly suitable for use when installing pipes, such as waste water pipes, rain pipes, sewage pipes and the like. For installing such pipes it has been common practice to use so-called pipe-clips, which are capable of being closed around the pipe to be installed and have a threaded element, such as a nut, welded to it for attachment to a correspondingly threaded suspension rod. More particularly the spacer according to the invention is intended to substitute the threaded suspension rod just referred to. The spacer according to the invention can be simply and quickly fastened to a wall by means of a single fastening screw, that extends through the single fastening slot into a hole provided in the wall. Moreover the ultimate fastening location for the respective pipe clip, i.e. the location of the central attachment means on the second mounting plate, can be adjusted in three mutually perpendicular directions, viz. by adjusting the length of the spacer rods, adjusting the first mounting plate in the direction of the long axis of the central slot in said plate and adjusting the second mounting plate in the direction of the long axes of the second slots in said second plate. The spacer according to the invention has - if placed in a position in which the spacer element are located in a substantially vertical plane - a substantially higher bending strength than a threaded rod of a comparable length, whereas its attachment to the support wall is as simple as that of a threaded rod and the fastening of the pipe clip itself has remained unchanged. The job on the installation site is even further simplified due to the central attachment hole in the first mounting plate being formed as a slot. As a consequence of the latter feature the holes to be made in advance in the supporting wall need not be located exactly at the desired height or (in case of horizontally extending pipes) be in exactly aligned locations. The play provided by the slot-shaped holes allows, at a later stage, for compensation of deviations, if any. Moreover the position of the fastening location for the pipe clip relative to the wall can be adjusted in a relatively simple manner. Further features and characteristics of the invention will be hereinafter further explained by way of example with reference to the drawing. The spacer of which a perspective view is shown in the drawing, comprises a first rectangular mounting plate 1 with a slot-shaped hole 2 extending along the longitudinal axis of said plate for attachment (by means of a fastening screw) to a supporting wall. The plate 1 is provided with two welded nuts 3 in which thraaded rod lengths 4 of a selected length may be screwed. 5 designates a second substantially rectangular mounting plate, provided with holes 6, the pitch of which corresponds with that of the threaded rod lengths 4 screwed into the welded nuts 3. The mounting plate 5 may be placed with its holes 6 onto the threaded rod lengths 4 and fixed relative to the mounting plate 1 by means of the nuts and lock nuts indicated at 7 and 8 respectively. The slot-shaped holes 6 have their "long" axes positioned transversely to those of the slot hole 5 in the mounting plate 1. The mounting plate 5 has a threaded rod portion 10 extending away from the first mounting plate and being e.g. formed by the shank of a screw bolt, the head of which - in the example shown - is received in an outwardly bulging portion 5a of the mounting plate 5. The projecting threaded rod end 10 is adapted to receive the object to be attached to a wall by means of the described spacer, such object being formed e.g. by a pipe clip, of which a part 11 carrying a welded nut 12 is shown in the drawing. A particular feature of the described spacer is to be seen therein, that it allows the position of the object, which is attached to the wall by means of this spacer, to be adjusted in three mutually perpendicular directions. The slot hole 2 in the first mounting plate 1, which will, in general, be fastened in the illustrated vertical position to the wall, allows the fastening point at the wall to be varied in the direction of the arrow X, whereas the slot holes 6 in the second mounting plate 5 enable the adjustment of the position of the object in the direction of the arrow Y (i.e. in a substantially horizontal direction parallel to the supporting wall). Finally the distance between the second mounting plate 5 and the first mounting plate 1 and thereby the distance to the supporting wall may be adjusted by displacing the nuts and lock nuts 8, 9 in the arrow direction Z (i.e. in a direction perpendicular to the supporting wall) along the threaded rod lengths 4. It will be understood that the adjustability in the Z-direction may be increased by using shorter or longer threaded rod lengths 4. The invention is not limited to the example shown in the drawing. The attachment of the object 11 to the second mounting plate 5 could e.g. also take place by means of a separate screw bolt to be inserted through a hole of the latter mounting plate.

Claims: A spacer for use in a one-point fastening of an object (11) to a wall, comprising a first mounting plate (1) having a first slot (2) for fastening said plate to a wall, a second mounting plate (5) having second slots (6) provided in opposite end portions of said second plate (5) and carrying projecting attachment means (10) for the object (11) to be fastened and spacer means (3, 4, 8, 9) for interconnecting said first and second mounting plates (1, 5), characterized in that said first slot (2) is centrally located, that said spacer means (3, 4, 8, 9) are constituted by length-adjustable rod lengths (4) extending from said first mounting plate (1) at locations on either side of said first slot (2) towards said second mounting plate (5) and through said second slots (6), that said attachment means (10) is provided in a central position on said second mounting plate (5) and that said second slots (6) have their long axes directed at right angles relative to that of said first slot (2). A spacer according to claim 1, characterized in that the length-adjustable rod lengths have their two axes located in a plane going through the "long" axis of said first slot (2). A spacer according to claims 1-2, characterized in that said length-adjustable rod lengths (4) are threaded rod lengths (4), each carrying a nut (8) and a lock nut (9) for adjustable connection to said second mounting plate (5). A spacer according to claim 3, characterized in that the threaded rod lengths (4) are screwed into nuts (3) that make part of said first mounting plate (1). A spacer according to claims 1-4, characterized in that the central attachment means (10) on said second mounting plate (5) is formed by a short threaded rod portion extending therefrom. A spacer according to claim 5, characterized in that said short threaded rod portion (10) is made by part of a screw bolt, the head of which is received in a bulge (5a) of said second mounting plate (5), said bulge extending in a direction away from said first mounting plate (1). A spacer according to claim 6, characterized in that the screw bolt (10) is welded to the second mounting plate (5).

Inventors: VAN WALRAVEN JAN, VAN WALRAVEN, JAN
Applicants: WALRAVEN J VAN BV, J. VAN WALRAVEN B.V.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: F16B9
IPC codes: F24D19, F16L3